Nine-year-old girl's arm broken in two places in violent attack in Wigan

Detectives are now appealing for information to help identify the young boy who attacked the girl on Tuesday evening.

She had been playing on football pitches at the bottom of Caunce Road, in Scholes, when she was approached by a boy she did not know at around 6pm.

Police say the boy – who was thought to be between 11 and 13 years old – pinned her arm against a fence and struck it with an unknown object.

Her arm was broken in two places as a result of the violent attack.

The boy then ran away towards a wooded area, which leads to Dean Trust Rose Bridge, where he was joined by another youth, who was wearing blue shorts.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “The offender is described as being approximately 4ft tall and of chubby build, with dark-coloured hair, which is short at the back and sides with a longer ‘flick’ at the front.

"He spoke with an accent that wasn’t local to the Wigan area and at the time of incident he was wearing a dark-coloured tracksuit.”

Police are investigating and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact them online or call 0161 856 7094, quoting log reference 3279 of July 13.

Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or going to crimestoppers-uk.org/